The Strong, the Brave, and the True
by bladesandswords85
Summary: This is the hidden tale of Balto. Come step into his time and witness the secret story that has yet to have been revealed, and let us find out if you will see this world in a different light after reading this tale. I know I did...


**Chapter 1: Blood in the Snow**

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**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Balto OR Assassin's Creed. Balto is a work of fiction created and owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment, and Assassin's Creed is a production of Ubisoft Productions. This story has been tailored for your enjoyment only and does not have any monetarily value (except to me since I value ALL my stories.) Note this however that I hand-write ALL my stories before typing them. So if I catch you trying to take my stories, I will file a lawsuit on your ass and I will have solid evidence that this is work of fiction created by me (For "The Strong, the Brave, and the True" only) and was wrongfully stolen... Oh well! Enjoy! X3

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_Nome, Alaska. The town that is almost but a tiny dot on the map, but has a history like no other. A story that turned to legend. A legend of a wolf/dog that saved the town. What was his name, you ask? Balto._

_Now you've heard the tale of how he saved the children of Nome, but that is not the only legend he is known by. There is the legend of the battle's he fought, and the journey he travelled to save the world._

_How do I know all this? Well, I was there when it all happened. What? You don't believe me? Let me tell you the story then._

_Let us begin with the day I first arrived in Nome…_

**Nome, Alaska; 1928**

Balto bolted upright from underneath the blanket, causing Boris to squawk frantically as he somersaulted through the air and crashed into the wall with a loud _THUNK. _The goose slid to the ground and got back up, rubbing the top of his head.

"Balto," he groaned. "I know that you are restless sleeper. But can you be mindful of those who are _not_?"

The wolf/dog ignored him. He padded over to the windowless sill of the wrecked ships' cabin and perched himself up to look outside. All he could see was the snow-covered ground and the blurred light of the lanterns from the town. Snow was falling steadily. But Balto didn't see or hear anything unusual, but rather _scented _something strange. He had his wolf sense of smell to thank for that. He sniffed at the cool winter air, his ears perked up, and he jumped off of the ship.

"Balto!" Boris yelled after him. "Where you- GAAAH!" The goose tripped on his way out of the window and plummeted head-first into the snow.

Balto didn't wait for his feathery companion. He dashed farther away from the ship, trudging through the deep banks of snow. Then he spotted a red splotch that bleached into the powdery white surface. The wolf/dog padded up closer, only to discover a trail of red. Balto bent down to sniff the red substance.

"Blood," he concurred. "And it's fairly fresh, too. Whoever's blood this is must still be out there."

He began to follow the trail of red before him. Each splotch became larger as he went. Finally he came to a steep hill. The blood now stained the snow in a long red streak, ending beside the body of a dark silver wolf in a pool of his own blood. Balto felt the urge to run back to town to get help. But then he realized that the wolf would have bled to death by the time he returned. Not only that, but who would help him? It was late, and not many people would be very keen on helping him this late. And he couldn't ask any of the other dogs since they would either be asleep or freak out at the sight of a wolf. He growled frustratedly, than sighed. If no one could help him, then he'd have to do it himself.

Balto slid down the hill on his paws. Once he was at the bottom, he carefully padded over to the blood-soaked wolf to get a better look. Along with the dark silver fur, his fore paws and snout were jet-black –patterns that Balto had never seen on a wolf before. There was also an unusual red scar on his face. It trekked down from his eyebrow, over his left eye, and ended slightly below his upper jaw. What shocked Balto the most though was the amount of blood he had already lost. The wolf's body was covered with gashes and fresh wounds. No wonder why he was losing so much blood. That's when he realized a fact that was even worse: This wolf was fairly young, at least 16 years old.

"What happened to you?" He muttered under his breath.

"Der der der der der!"

Balto spun around just as two polar bears came tumbling down the slope. The smaller one was Muk, and his brother –the larger polar bear- was Luk. Boris hopped off of Luk's back and stomped over to the wolf/dog.

"Are you out of your mind?! You want to freeze out here because you felt like running-"

"Boris…" He turned back to the wolf's body.

But the snow goose kept going. "Do you have _any idea_ how worried I was?! You could've-"

"Boris."

"_No! _We're bringing you home _now!_" Boris yelled from beside Balto. He didn't even see the wolf yet.

"_Boris!_"

"What?!"

Balto took a paw and moved Boris' head so that he was now staring straight at the wolf. His jaw dropped.

"Oh my…" Boris straightened up immediately and turned to Muk and Luk. "Alright, bears! We need to get this one help, and I mean quick!"

Muk's face turned serious and he saluted the goose. Luk had already responded. He had the wolf carefully slung over his back and was speeding back up the slope with Muk hot on his heels. Boris hopped onto Balto's back and they dashed after them. Luk was mumbling something that neither of them understood, but it seemed like he was complaining about something. Muk seemed to understand though, because he turned on his brother with an annoyed look on his face.

"Well of course you're going t' get a little blood in your fur!" He scolded. "He's bleeding, isn't he?"

"Boys! This isn't time to argue!" Boris yelled. "We're going to save that wolf!"

"Right! Double-time, Luk!"

**In town, 5 minutes later…**

Muk and Luk gently laid the wolf down by the doctor's front door. Boris then knocked on the door as hard as he could, and they all dashed away to hide. Shortly after hiding behind a stack of wood planks and peeking from behind their cover, light spilled onto the porch and the wolf's body as the door opened. An older man wearing a long white coat poked his head outside, not moving anywhere past the doorstep. The top of his head was bald, but bordered by white hair.

"Hello?" He looked down and his eyes went wide at the sight of the heavily wounded wolf. "Oh my God…"

The man stepped onto the porch and knelt down beside the bloody Canis Lupus. He began to gently place his hands over its neck and chest.

"Still breathing… Heart rate is steady… Two broken ribs… Good God, what gave you these gashes?"

Boris was staring intently at the doctor.

"Come on," the goose mumbled. "Take him inside…"

And as if he had been heard, the doctor stood back up and bolted back inside.

"Nurse!" He shouted. "Prepare the table! Retrieve some sterile bandages and disinfectant from my stores!"

"Yes sir!" A woman shouted back.

Balto spotted someone approach from the corner of his eye and ducked down. He poked his head back out and observed the person. It was a girl. She looked to be around 18 years old. Her hair was a dirty-brunette –it seemed more like a dark shade of grey, and her eyes were a magnificent emerald-green. She was wearing a black coat with a hood attached to it, black pants, and black boots –which Balto expected judging by the rest of her clothing. The girl turned around.

"Come on, Luna." Her voice was soft and kind.

The wolf/dog watched as a large white wolf trotted up to the girl's side. It was a female wolf. Balto soon discovered that the wolf's eyes were an unusual, but unique color of violet.

"Boris," Balto whispered. "Have you ever seen those two before?"

Boris raised an eye brow and scratched at his chin.

"No, I have not…" He shrugged. "They might have just moved into town recently."

The doctor rushed back outside with a stretcher (It's one of those things that military doctors use to move patients.) He had just laid it down when he looked up at the girl.

"Veronica?" He didn't move from his place next to the wolf.

"Uncle Merrik?" Her eyes went wide when her gaze fell onto the wolf. "I just arrived. What happened?"

"I don't know, I just found him out here. Look, this one needs medical attention _immediately. _Come help me get him onto the stretcher."

Veronica didn't hesitate. She rushed to her uncle's side and knelt down beside the wolf. They carefully lifted him onto the stretcher, then rushed inside with the white wolf behind them.

Balto and Boris both sighed with relief when the door finally closed. They did it… Now all they had to do was hope that they brought him here just in time. Boris jumped down from atop the stack of wood and began to walk away.

"Come on, Balto." He called quietly. "We check up on him in the morning."

Balto, Muk, and Luk followed the snow goose back home. On the walk home, Balto kept thinking about that wolf; and with one question in mind: Where did he come from?

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End of Chapter 1...


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